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- Indian politician and social reformer. Born in Kotluk, Bombay, in 1866, he became Professor of History at Fergusson College, Poona, resigning in 1904, when he was selected representative of the Bombay legislative council at the supreme council. He founded the Servants of India Society in 1905 to work for the relief of the underprivileged, and in the same year was elected president of the Indian National Congress. He was a leading protagonist of Indian self-government and influenced Mahatma Gandhi, advocating moderate and constitutional methods of agitation and gradual reform.
- Indian nationalist, scholar, and philosopher. He was born in Ratnagiri during British rule of India in 1956. After teaching mathematics, he was owner and editor of 2 weekly newspapers. A militant member of the 'extremist' wing within the Indian National Congress (and a member of the famous 'Lal, Pal and Bal' trio), he was twice imprisoned by the British for his nationalist activities. He helped to found the Home Rule League in 1914.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Manilal Joshi was born in 1893 in British India. He was a director and writer, known for Veer Abhimanyu (1922), Soul or Slave (1927) and Devdasi (1925). He died on 7 September 1927 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Bhagwati Prasad Mishra was born in Payasi village of Deoria District.
He gave break to Prithvi Raj Kapoor as an Actor in film Cinegirl.
He directed film Alam Ara which was the first Indian film with sound and also played a role in it as an actor
Other films directed by him are Draupadi, Cinegirl etc.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Narayanrao Sarpotder D. was born on 11 February 1896 in Nandavali, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director and writer, known for Jai Vijay (1930), Chandrarao More (1925) and Shamsher Bahadur (1930). He died on 23 April 1940 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India.- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Himanshu Rai (1892 - 16 May 1940), one of the pioneers of Indian cinema, is best known as one of the founders of the studio in 1934, along with Rajnarayan Dube and Devika Rani. He was associated with a number of movies, including Goddess (1922), The Light of Asia (1925), Shiraz (1928), A Throw of Dice (1929) and Karma (1933). He was married to actress Devika Rani Chaudhuri (1908-1994).
Born into an aristocratic Bengali family, he spent several years in Santiniketan for his schooling. After obtaining a law-degree from Kolkata, he went to London to become a barrister. There, he met a playwright and screenwriter Niranjan Pal.
That association led to the making of a film, The Light of Asia, which he co-directed with Franz Osten. Rai was also one of the main actors in this film. While making his third film, Prapancha Pash, he met and fell in love with Devika Rani, a great-grandniece of the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Before this film was complete, he married her.
By 1932, London return flop Actor Himanshu Rai was back in India after having been exposed to film making in Europe. As he was unsuccessful as an actor in Europe, his ambition was to bring these new cultural phenomena to the Indian people. This must have been harder than you think, because Himanshu Rai struggled to get this idea off the ground, primarily because of the money involved. He was meeting many people and trying to convince them about the magic of cinema but the effort was proving unsuccessful. He had the complete support of people such as F.E Dinshaw, Sir Feroze Sethna among others but they could not help him when it came to the crucial aspect of financing.
The Bombay Talkies Studios' story is full of magic and color. In the '30s, the movie business was supposed to be a 'dirty business'. People would talk about movies, but many wouldn't even consider going to watch one. This would be similar to people talking about gold prices but seldom buying it. Even though movies did make people curious, its reputation as a professional field was bad. There seemed to be a lack of respect for the profession because it was being considered the domain of undesirable sections of the then Indian society. Due to this lack of respect and understanding for the profession, financiers during those times would face an impossible challenge when it came to getting returns on their investment.
It was during this hunt for financiers that Himanshu Rai came in contact with Abhimanyu Prasad Singh, a close friend of Seth Badriprasad Dube, who was a well-known financier. He introduced Himanshu Rai, a London return actor/ theatre artist to Seth Badriprasad Dube with a dream of making a cinema company but Seth Badriprasad declined the proposal of funding Himanshu Rai because Seth Badriprasad had once financed the first Indian Talkie film Alam Ara which didn't earn him any profit and he made an opinion that only actors and directors get fame but the financier doesn't get profits. During that era, the film business was not considered money earning business. It was more about the passion for cinema and getting fame. Because of this fact, Seth Badriprasad Dube declined the proposal of financing Himanshu Rai.
Abhimanyu Singh spoke next to Seth Badriprasad's son Shri. Rajnarayan Dube. He was a young and dynamic businessman who operated a successful company called Dube Industries, which he had founded in 1929. Shri. Dube was born on 10th October 1910 at Kalighat in Kolkata and was an ardent devotee of Maa Kali. He was influenced by the power of art and creativity at a young age. Both men met at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba, Mumbai (Bombay), and discussed an initial investment amount of Rs. 25 lakhs. However, Himanshu Rai couldn't convince Rajnarayan Dube to invest the amount because of the dismal returns on investment that the Indian movie industry offered. At this point, it would seem that Bombay Talkies would never come to be, but things have a way of working out in unexpected ways.
A few months passed by and Himanshu Rai had grown increasingly despondent because it was becoming impossible to raise investment for his movie company. In his depression, the man attempted suicide but was unsuccessful. Shri. Rajnarayan Dube got wind of this through Abhimanyu Prasad Singh and wondered about this man, one who so completely and wholeheartedly believed in the power of cinema and talking pictures that he did not see fit to continue living if he couldn't follow his dreams. Rajnarayan Dube decided that Himanshu Rai was onto something here and finalized the investment with him soon after. In doing this, Shri. Rajnarayan Dube went deliberately against the advice of his father, Seth Badriprasad Dube, who felt that this would not be a good investment choice. In doing this, Shri. Rajnarayan Dube gave birth to the Indian Film Industry, which has now gone on to become a huge cultural and financial force in the country.
At the very nascent age of the cinema Rajnarayan Dube's Bombay Talkies was born in India when other contemporary film companies of the world such as Warner Bros. Entertainment, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures were born and brought up to create cinematic magic for the world audience, but Bombay Talkies (under the command of Girish Ghanshyam Dube), is the only premier film company which has made a charismatic comeback and repeating its old pride and glory after sixty-three years of utter darkness.
Cinematic Giant and Pillar of Indian Cinema, Rajnarayan Dube founded the Legendary Film Company, The Bombay Talkies Studios along with its associate companies Bombay Talkies Laboratories and Bombay Talkies Pictures as individual proprietorship companies. At the same time to add more people, he established the first public limited film company of India The Bombay Talkies Limited (ltd.) in 1934, although all companies were commonly known as Bombay Talkies. As Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani were actors they were given some shares of the company as their remuneration. Some films were produced under the banner of The Bombay Talkies Limited also, but most of the films were produced under The Bombay Talkies Studios and Bombay Talkies Pictures. The Bombay Talkies Studios also successfully Distributed, Processed, and Promoted films of other producers and banners other than their own films. All the films were financed by Rajnarayan Dube in his individual capacity as the owner of his proprietorship finance company Dube Industries (Estd. 1929).
On 15 April, 1934, Bombay Talkies began operations. The movie company was named by Shri. Dube's mother, Smt. Gayatri Devi. Though Light of Asia and Karma a concept which Himanshu Rai built during his days in Europe, it was released in 1925 and 1933 respectively. As the release went unnoticed, Rajnarayan Dube re-released them and the first films to come out of the stables were Light of Asia (Prem Sanyas) and Karma in 1934. It was followed by Jawani ki Hawa, Achhut Kanya and Jeevan Naiya. The movie company-operated along with the principle of keeping the creative aspects and business aspects separate. Shri. Rajnarayan Dube would look into the business end of things and both Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani would immerse themselves in the creative pursuit. This approach gave rise to some of the most technically impressive films seen this side of the planet. The technical prowess was due to the movie studio employing German and other European technicians, prominent among them being Franz Osten.
In his book, Bombay Talkies - Pillar of Indian Cinema, Late. KM Srivastava mentioned that Rajnarayan Dube's Bombay Talkies was single-handedly responsible for making the careers of some of the leading talents in the golden age of Indian cinema. Besides Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani, the company gave the world Ashok Kumar, Leela Chitnis, Madhubala (who began as a child artist and was given her stage name by Rajnarayan Dube himself, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Leela Chitnis, David Abraham Cheulkar, Phani Majumdar, Gyan Mukherjee, K.A. Abbas, Saadat Hasan Manto, Nabendu Ghosh, Hansa Wadkar, Uttam Kumar, Kedar Sharma, Gemini Ganesan, P.L. Santoshi, Shakti Samanta, Niranjan Pal, Pt. Narendra Sharma, Kishor Sahu, P. Jairaj, Asit Sen, Mumtaj Ali, Nalini Jaywant, Kamini Kaushal, Snehprabha, Joseph Wirsching, Kanan Devi, Famous Bengali Novelist Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Shaheed Lateef, Sita Devi, Abhi Bhattacharya, R.D. Mathur, Aghajani Kashmiri, Kamal Bose, Pran, Usha Kiran, Renuka Devi, Great Writer Munshi Premchand (Written 2 Films for Bombay Talkies), Mukri, Bhagwati Charan Verma, Mehmood, Kishore Kumar, Kamal Amrohi, Guru Dutt, Suraiya, Bimal Roy, Nitin Bose, Salil Chowdhary, Kavi Pradeep, Franz Osten, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Sashadhar Mukherjee, Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, Satyajit Ray, Amiya Chakravarti, S. D. Burman, Manna Dey, Saraswati Devi (who was the first woman music director of Asia). All in all, Bombay Talkies gave the world 280 of the most talented movie professionals in the last century.
Under the command of Rajnarayan Dube, Bombay Talkies had Produced 115 films like Achhut Kannya, Kismet, Bandhan, Mahal, Jhoola, Jeevan Naiya, Neel Kamal, Baadbaan, Daag, Majboor, Drishtidan (Bengali), Izzat, Prem Kahani, Punarmilan, Aawaz, Pratima, Raj Mahal, Apnapan, Anyaya, Roti, Farar, Ziddi, Mashal, Azad, Jwar Bhata, Basant, Sangram, Patita, Bhabi (1938), Durga, Kala Patthar, Indian Lady, Jeevan Prabhat, HamariBaat, Anand, Aurangzeb, Bemisaal, Mamta, Sipahi, Milan, Naya Sansar, Anjaan, Adalat, Aandolan, Zindagi, Zamindar, Kanjoos, Ravan, Raja Rani, Phaansi, Kasam, Parakh, Dhobi Doctor, Deewana, Darpan, Dr. Kumar, Maa, Khamosh, Nauka Doobi, Talaq, Zakhmi, Maharaja, Nirmala, Vilayati Babu, Dushman, Khandani, Puraskar, Tawaif, Asha, Aandhi, Sadma, Anaath, Loafer, Muqaddar, Prem Kahani, Vachan, Lahore to Calcutta, Navjeevan, Ramdhari B.A., Saudagar, Ghajini, Hero, Sawa Lakh, Pratima, Bulandi, Char Aankhen, Chanakya, Nakli Heera, Lahore, Rail Ka Dibba, Dost, Chhoti Si Duniya, Cinema and many more.
While Himanshu Rai's original vision for a movie production house sowed the seeds for the formation of Indian cinema as an industry, Shri. Rajnarayan Dube single-handedly architected the business angle of the entire industry which was yet to come. He supported various new theatres such as BN Sircar's New Theatres in Calcutta, V Shantaram's Prabhat Pictures, Homi Wadia's Wadia Movietone, Sohrab Modi's Minerva Movietone, LV Prasad's Prasad Labs and Pictures (Prasad was an ex-technician from Bombay Talkies), SS Vasan's Gemini Pictures and Mehboob Khan's theatres, Tarachand Barjatya's Rajshri Productions (Barjatya served as a distribution manager for Bombay Talkies for the period of seven years), Sashadhar Mukherjee's (Filmalaya Studio). Shri. Dube financed these fledgling companies and made them stronger. In essence, he builds the entire movie ecosystem in the country. Everyone whom Shri. Dube supported, went on to build a name for themselves in the industry.
Shri. Rajnarayan Dube had a big vision for Indian Cinema. He wanted Indian film making to be a respectable profession. He thus stipulated that Bombay Talkies would only hire graduates. He hoped this move would legitimize the Indian film industry of the thirties and forties, and it certainly did. Besides this, Shri. Dube also wanted the Indian film industry to be inclusive of Indians from all states and sectors of life. Even though the movie company worked with European technicians, Shri. Dube would bring on Indian technicians and make sure that they learned the art of movie-making. He also brought a lot of Indian writers on-board so that movies could have an Indian cultural sensitivity and thus could appeal to a large number of people. This move gave rise to a whole new Indian profession, movie making! This seemed to be a good move in the light of circumstances that were yet to arrive.
During one scene in the movie Karma, there was a minute-long kissing scene between Himanshu Rai & Devika Rani onscreen. During the re-release, some extra controversial scenes were shot at that time for the sake of sensational purpose. This caused quite a stir in Indian society then Seth Badriprasad Dube's father of Shri. Rajnarayan Dube was furious about the scene. Himanshu Rai apologized and held his ears' and said that it would not happen again. After that incident, Shri. Dube however, resolved to screen all films by himself before they could be released. He was a Brahmin and a conservative and strictly discouraged smoking, drinking and other vices in the studio premises. He was also a very caring employer for those pioneering people who worked at Bombay Talkies. He made sure that Education, Rent, Food, and other daily necessities were provided free of cost to employees of Bombay Talkies. He also championed the rights of the movie industry by setting up Unions and Associations such as IMPPA (of which Bombay Talkies was the first member) Several people along with Rajnarayan Dube, Himanshu Rai, and Devika Rani were responsible for the formation of IMPPA. He also helped grow the regional film industry. He staunchly supported Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Oriya, Gujarati and Southern cinema. If it wasn't for Shri. Dube, the Indian movie industry would have resembled other Southeast Asian movie industries from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Bollywood today is big enough to compete with Hollywood movies.
During the Second World War, Bombay Talkies was struggling. The war had made things very difficult in many ways. The company had several movies on the floor but they could not get them finished because the crucial German technicians had been arrested and detained by the British Government. At this point, 15-20 films were on the production floor and were stalled pretty badly. Himanshu Rai suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of this and passed away in 1940. Bombay Talkies had just lost its crucial co-founder on whose vision the entire company stood to be successful. Shri. Rajnarayan Dube decided that Rai's vision for Indian cinema would continue and he again invested four lakhs ten thousand rupees into the venture. This injected some much-needed blood into the company and a new era of Indian film making began. Shri. Dube decided that from that moment on, Bombay Talkies would only hire Indian technicians and production professionals.
In this second phase, the company boomed and went on to a very productive cinematic run. 1943 hit Kismet was getting rave reviews everywhere and managed to run in theatres for 3 and a half years in over 90% of the Indian theatres! By comparing the value of gold and land by today's standards, the movie made the equivalent of Rs. 40000 crores. Not one movie has broken this record in terms of business. By 1954, Bombay Talkies had put its name to a huge amount of work. It had produced 115 films, had introduced over 280 new talents, built 400 theatres across the country. With the historical grand success of Bombay Talkies, the legendary film company under the influence of Rajnarayan Dube had now processed more than 450 films of outside and likeminded producers and made more than 250 film projects for the new and needy producers. As the success of Bombay Talkies was going sky-high the clash of ego between the giants also started roaring high? The three companies which solely belongs to Rajnarayan Dube, The Bombay Talkies Studios, Bombay Talkies Laboratories and Bombay Talkies Pictures were doing fine but the fourth company The Bombay Talkies Limited, which was established by him to include more people and more talents was becoming a platform to project nasty ego clashes of the directors and management of the company. Instead of being devoted to filmmaking and cinema they devoted their energy and talent for spreading rumours and objectionable stories. At this time Shri. Rajnarayan Dube decided that he and his company had arrived at the goal that they had set out to complete two decades earlier. Indian films were now a major force in terms of communication and entertainment in post-independence India. Shri. Dube shut down his sole proprietorship companies The Bombay Talkies Studios, Bombay Talkies Laboratories and Bombay Talkies Pictures in 1954 so that he could pay more attention to other aspects of his business and continued to distribute and finance films. The fate of the limited company, The Bombay Talkies Limited, which was established to include more people and more talents, got entrapped in selfish motives and litigation. Since 1953, complicated legal battles have been going on in different courts till date. Among all odds and misfortune, of the past time Bombay Talkies became a dream only to be in memories, the artists and technicians, whom Bombay Talkies made living legends in their own lives, who became national and international personalities by virtue of their own right, became world famous. But there was no one to take notice of Bombay Talkies.
With the noble intention and the purpose of promotion, protection, and projection of ancient divine culture globally Girish Ghanshyam Dube Revived Bombay Talkies after six decades with full glory and pride. With the historical revival of the legendary Bombay talkies, Girish Ghanshyam Dube paid his heartfelt tribute to his grandfather, pillar of Indian Cinema Rajnarayan Dube along with Himanshu Rai, Devika Rani, and many great filmmakers, artists and technicians. Girish Ghanshyam Dube brought his idol, Chandrashekhar Azad, from the darkness of history and presented him for the first time in the larger than life manner. Rashtraputra first patriotic film based on the life and times of the greatest revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad was screened at the 72nd Cannes film festival, France. The international audience connected with the patriotic and nationalistic thoughts of the great son of mother India through Rashtraputra. After Rashtraputra Girish Ghanshyam Dube created and released the first mainstream Sanskrit film of the world Cinema, Aham Brahmasmi to promote, protect & project Devbhasha Sanskrit worldwide and to preach Bramhavakya of Vedas to every corner of the World.
Many film-makers followed Rajnarayan Dube as a fortune for them, like in his Book, 'Bombay Talkies - Pillar of Indian Cinema', Senior Most Journalist of India Late. KM Srivastava mentioned Prakash Mehra, one of the legendary filmmakers of India who got the first chance to direct a movie named, Haseena Maan Jayegi, starring Shashi Kapoor. The film got stuck because of lack of budget. Later, popular actor Shashi Kapoor advised him to acquaint with Shri. Rajnarayan Dube; "He is the person who will appreciate your talent and help you out from the issue". Rajnarayan Dube said yes to him and the film triumphed magnificently. The same incident happened with Prakash Mehra in the film Samadhi which was starred by Dharmendra. Rajnarayan Dube helped him and got a huge applause. Because of such incidents, Prakash Mehra followed Rajnarayan Dube as a deity and he was always thankful to him. Then he gave back to back hits like Zanjeer, Khoon Pasina, Hera Pheri with the help of Rajnarayan Dube. After his establishment he didn't face financial trouble but still, he used to take one hundred and one rupees as goodwill from Rajnarayan Dube for his later hits like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Laawaris, Jaadugar and many more.
Recently in an event, Mr. Chandra Shekhar Pusalkar Phalke, grandson of the father of Indian Cinema Dada Saheb Phalke said, "With the establishment and work culture of Bombay Talkies, Rajnarayan Dube has played a great historic role in nurturing and developing the Indian film industry. He gave it the form of an organised industry and made it be accepted as a respectful form of art by the civilised society." He further added, "Like Dada Saheb Phalke, Rajnarayan Dube also faced all kinds of conflicts and the result of his immense struggle is visible like a World Heritage Site in the form of Bombay Talkies today. He strongly affirmed, If Mr. Rajnarayan Dube was not there, there would be no Himanshu Rai, neither Devika Rani nor there would be Bombay Talkies."
Numerous people have written books about Bombay Talkies and Rajnarayan Dube like Multiple editions of a book written by Mohammad Zahid Ahmed titled as The Man Behind Indian Cinema, which was launched in The United States of America on 19th June 2016. The last edition of the book mentions that The truth behind "The Bombay Talkies ltd" and commercial Indian cinema lies beneath the biography of Mr. Rajnarayan Dube. The novels unfold the truth of Indian cinema and the history that people made without any substantial evidence. Many news reports and media tries to recreate the fact about Indian cinema.
History witnessed the success and fall of the pillar of Indian cinema and the disasters of broken fire in the Bombay talkies studio campus many times. Negatives, important documents along with props and properties of filmmaking got burned and became ashes. Multiple researches were done on Indian Cinema and Bombay Talkies, numerous books were read on Bombay Talkies, only information on released films were obtained but no vital information could be gathered. Every book mentioned contradictory information on Bombay Talkies, only a few names were mentioned related to Bombay Talkies and its foundation. From the very ashes of history the senior most and respected film journalist K M Srivastava recollected the truths and facts of Bombay Talkies. K M Srivastava's career spanning fifty years, he has done a great service to the students of cinema by researching Bombay Talkies. K M Srivastava has disclosed nearly each and every aspect of Bombay Talkies in his historical book Bombay talkies - the pillar of Indian cinema, that how London return flop Actor Himanshu Rai got to finance his films, how he met Rajnarayan dube and how the actors and actresses of that time rose to glory. All the needful information was available in this book. The book is now the authentic prime source of inspiration, information and knowledge about Bombay talkies and that magnificent era. K M Srivastava's work contains more authentic information than any other source available. K M Srivastava documented nearly everything in detail in his research book on Bombay talkies. He has interviewed most of the legends who were associated with Bombay talkies. He was the eye-witness of most of the events along with his fellow journalists. The intense and comprehensive research book Bombay talkies - the pillar of Indian cinema - 3rd Edition written by senior journalist K M Srivastava was released by Chandrashekhar Pusalkar Phalke, the grandson of father of Indian cinema Dada Sahab Phalke on On 19 May 2018.
In his 52 years long career, It is the third time that senior most Journalist Of Indian Cinema , K M Srivastava wrote Bombay Talkies History in the book, Bombay talkies - the pillar of Indian cinema.
The event was organized by Manika Sanstha. The guests and speakers of the event were senior editor of Madhuri Magazine, Sudeep, Rashtriya Sahara editor, senior journalist and narrator Harish Pathak, senior film actors Surendra Pal, Gajendra Chauhan and actress Asema Bhatt. The program was conducted by Devmani Pandey and incorporated by Amar Tripathi. A large number of friends of the literary world were present on the occasion. Chief Guest at the book launch event, Mr. Chandrashekhar Pusalkar Phalke, grandson of the father of Indian Cinema Dada Sahab Phalke said, "With the establishment and work culture of Bombay Talkies, Rajnarayan Dube has played a great historic role in nurturing and developing Indian film industry. He gave it the form of an organised industry and made it to be accepted as a respectful form of art by the civilised society." He further added, "Like Dada Sahab Phalke, Rajnarayan Dube also faced all kinds of conflicts and the result of his immense struggle is visible like a World Heritage Site in the form of Bombay Talkies today. He strongly affirmed, If Mr. Rajnarayan Dube was not there, there would be no Himanshu Rai, neither Devika Rani nor there would be Bombay Talkies."
The detailed history on Bombay Talkies and Indian cinema, can be found in the Books, The Man behind Indian Cinema by Mohammad Zahid Ahmed and Bombay Talkies - Pillar of Indian Cinema by KM Srivastava.- Director
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Dadasaaheb Phalke was born in 1870 in Trymbakeshwar in Nasik. He was born to a Sanskrit scholar, he studied at J.J. college of Art in Bombay and at Kala Bhavan, Baroda. He then studied architecture and became landscape painter of academic nature studies. He worked in a photographic studio and at Ratlam learned three-colour block making and ceramics. He then worked as a portrait photographer, stage make-up man, assistant to a German illusionist and as a magician! He was offered backing to start an Art Printing Press and his backers to acquaint him with the latest printing process arranged for him to go to Germany provided that he remain with the company. But by the time Phalke returned he knew that a printing career would not satisfy him. He raised loan from his friend and pledging his life insurance, Phalke went to England in 1912 to purchase the necessary equipment and acquaint himself with the technical aspects of filmmaking. When he returned from London he launched Raja Harishchandra about an honest king who for the sake of his principles sacrifices his kingdom and family before the gods impressed with his honesty restore him to his former glory and this movie was released in 1913. Later he produced Mohini Bhasmasur (1913),Satyavan Savitri (1914), Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna Janam (1918) and Kaliya Madan (1919). Due to changing tastes of movies and extreme commercialised atmosphere in film world, Phalke retired. Later in 1937 he produced Gangavataram (1937), but he had lost his magic. He died in Nasik, a forgotten man. But today he is considered as a pioneer of Indian cinema and a prestigious Indian film industry award is named after him.- Kasturba Gandhi was born on 11 April 1869 in Porbandar, Kathiawar Agency, British India. She was married to Mohandas K. Gandhi. She died on 22 February 1944 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India.
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Vishnupant Govind Damle was born on 14 October 1892 in Alibag, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director and actor, known for Sant Tukaram (1936), Karna (1928) and Sant Sakhu (1941). He died on 5 July 1945 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India.- Director
V.C. Desai was born on 12 October 1913 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director, known for Nirdosh (1942), Sadhana (1939) and Sri Thyagaraja (1937). He was married to Nalini Jaywant. He died on 25 January 1946 in Baroda, Bombay Presidency, British India.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Vinayak Karnataki was born on 19 January 1906 in Kolhapur, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was an actor and director, known for Brahmachari (1938), Nigah-e-Nafrat (1935) and Vilasi Ishwar (1935). He was married to Meenaxi. He died on 19 August 1947 in Bombay, State of Bombay, India.- Composer
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Khemchand Prakash was born on 12 December 1907 in Jaipur, State of Jaipur, British India. He was a composer and actor, known for Mahal (1949), Tansen (1943) and Jan Pahchan (1950). He died on 10 August 1950 in Bombay, State of Bombay, India.- Known as the "Iron Man of India", Vallabhbhai Patel was born in Gujarat. He was the fourth of the six children of his father, Jhaveribhai. Patel is credited for being almost single-handedly responsible for unifying India on the eve of independence. He completed his matriculation at the age of 22 due to the poor financial condition of family. Patel had a desire to study to become a lawyer. So he started to work and save funds. He went to England to study law. He passed examinations within two years and travelled back to India. Patel started practicing as a barrister in Ahmadabad. In 1917, Patel was elected as the sanitation commissioner of Ahmadabad. He displayed extraordinary devotion to duty and personal courage in fighting an outbreak of plague and led a successful agitation for the removal of an unpopular British municipal commissioner. Inspired by the words of Gandhi, Patel started active participation in the Indian independence movement. In 1920, Patel was nominated and elected as the President of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee where he served in the same post till 1945. In 1923 Patel acquired country-wide recognition after his successful leadership in the satyagraha in Nagpur against a law banning the raising of the Indian flag. In 1928 he led a successful campaign against the hike in the land revenue in Bardoli of Surat district. It was after this campaign that Vallabhbhai was given the popular title sardar. He played a vital role in the decision making process of All India Congress Committee. 1942 Vallabhbhai Patel was arrested for three years during Quit India Movement. After India's Independence 1947, Patel became India's first Home Minister and Minister of Information and Broadcasting. At the time of independence, India was divided into many parts mainly territories rules by hereditary rulers. It is due to Patel's relentless effort that results in successfully unification of more than 500 states with India. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel breathed his last on December 15, 1950 in Delhi after a massive heart attack. In 1991, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was awarded posthumously with India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna.
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Baburao Painter was born on 3 June 1890 in Kolhapur, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director and actor, known for Sinhagad (1923), Sairandhri (1920) and Pratibha (1937). He died on 16 January 1954 in Kolhapur, State of Bombay, India.- Director
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G. Devare Narayan was born on 15 August 1899 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India. G. Devare was a director and cinematographer, known for Ulphate Mehmud (1929), Speculator (1929) and Rajkumari Rajba (1928). G. Devare died on 9 November 1954 in Bombay, State of Bombay, India.- Director
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Amiya Chakrabarty was born on 30 November 1912 in Bogra, Bengal Presidency, British India [now in Bogura, Bangladesh]. He was a director and writer, known for Seema (1955), Badal (1951) and Dekh Kabira Roya (1957). He died on 6 March 1957 in Bombay, State of Bombay, India.- Actor
- Music Department
Prem Adib was born on 10 August 1917 in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. He was an actor, known for Anokhi Ada (1948), Subhadra (1946) and Bharat Milap (1942). He was married to Krishna Kumari (alias Pratima). He died on 25 December 1959 in Bombay, State of Bombay, India.- Director
- Writer
Ramchandra Gopal Torney was born on 13 April 1890 in Sukalwad, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director and writer, known for Sindbad Khalasi (1930), Neera (1926) and Bhakta Pralhad (1934). He died on 19 January 1960 in Pune, State of Bombay, India.- Actress
Kuldip Kaur was born in 1927 in Lahore, Punjab, British India. She was an actress, known for Baaz (1953), Nau Bahar (1952) and Teerandaz (1956). She died on 3 February 1960 in Bombay, India.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani was born in 1903 in Hyderabad, Sind, British India [now Pakistan]. He was a director and writer, known for Mazdoor (1934), Mena Kumari (1926) and Pagal Premi (1926). He was married to Enakshi Rama Rao. He died on 30 December 1962 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Cinematographer
- Director
- Art Director
Sheikh Fattelal was born on 20 October 1897 in Kagal, Maharashtra, India. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Sant Tukaram (1936), Karna (1928) and Sant Sakhu (1941). He died on 24 January 1964 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Shanta Apte was born in 1916 in Dudhni, Bombay Presidency, British India. She was an actress, known for Kunku (1937), Wahan (1937) and Rajput Ramani (1936). She died on 24 February 1964 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Mehboob Khan was born on 9 September 1907 in Bilimora, Baroda, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director and producer, known for Mother India (1957), Son of India (1962) and The Savage Princess (1952). He was married to Sardar Akhtar. He died on 28 May 1964 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Considered to be a man ahead of his time, Guru Dutt was one of the greatest icons of commercial Indian cinema. Although he made less than ten films, they are believed to be the best to come from Bollywood's Golden Age, known both for their ability to reach out to the common man and for their artistic and lyrical content, and they went on to become trend-setters that have influenced Bollywood ever since. But for all his genius, there was a shroud of tragedy that overshadowed his career and life.
Dutt was born in Mysore on July ninth, 1925, the eldest son of a headmaster and a housewife who was a part-time writer. As a child, he had to deal with a strained relationship between his parents, hostility from his mother's family, and the death of a close relative. He received his early education in Calcutta, and in 1941, he joined the Uday Shankar India Culture Center, where he received basic training in the performing arts under dance maestro Uday Shankar. Afterward, in 1944, he had a short stint as a telephone operator.
Dutt entered the Indian film industry in 1944, working as a choreographer in Prabhat Studios. There, he became friends with Dev Anand (whom he met when they worked on the film Hum Ek Hain (1946)) and Rehman Khan. These early friendships helped ease his way into Bollywood. After Prabhat went under in 1947, Dutt moved to Mumbai, where he worked with the leading directors of the time: Amiya Chakrabarty in Girls' School (1949) and Gyan Mukherjee in Sangram (1946).
He got his big break when Dev Anand invited him to direct a film in his newly formed company Navketan Films. Dutt made his directorial debut with Gamble (1951), which starred Dev Anand. The film was an urban crime thriller that paid homage to classic film noir. However, it also carried its own elements that ensured it was not a remake of a Hollywood film: notably, songs were used to further the story's narrative, and close-up shots were used frequently. The film was a success and became a trend-setter for future crime films. On the personal front, Dutt met his wife, playback singer Geeta Dutt (née Roy), during the song-recording sessions of Gamble (1951), and they married May twenty-sixth, 1953.
Dutt's next releases were Jaal (1952) and Baaz (1953). Dutt made his acting debut in the latter film, which he also directed. But while they were average successes, he finally tasted success with Aar-Paar (1954), another crime thriller, but with a far more polished story and look. Then came Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), a frothy romantic comedy focusing on women's' rights; and C.I.D. (1956), yet another crime thriller in which Waheeda Rehman made her debut.
His next films, Thirst (1957) and Paper Flowers (1959), are regarded as his best work. Thirst (1957) was his masterpiece, about a poet trying to achieve success in a hypocritical, uncaring world. It was a box-office hit and is ranked as his greatest film ever. In contrast, Paper Flowers (1959) was a miserable flop at the box office: the semi-autobiographical story of a tragic love affair set against the backdrop of the film industry was deemed too morbid for the audience to swallow and went right over audience's heads. Although in later years the film received critical acclaim for its cinematography and has gained a cult following, Dutt, who had put his soul into the film, was devastated over its failure and never directed another film.
Although he had sworn off directing, Dutt continued to produce and act in films, notably the period dramas Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). The latter film, interestingly, is controversial because it is debated whether Dutt had ghost-directed the film. Dutt's personal life had become complicated: he had gotten romantically involved with his protégé Waheeda Rehman and his wife Geeta Dutt had separated from him as a result. Rehman too had distanced herself from him. Also, Dutt, an ambitious person, felt he had achieved too much too soon professionally - there was nothing better to be achieved, and this caused a vacuum in his life. Unable to cope with all the trauma and emptiness, he took to heavy drinking.
On October tenth, 1964, Dutt was found dead in his bed. The cause of death was deemed a combination of alcohol and sleeping pills, although a debate still lingers over whether his death was by accident or a successful suicide attempt. Geeta Dutt suffered a nervous break-down as a result of his death and also took to alcohol, eventually drinking herself to death, dying in 1972 as a result of cirrhosis of the liver.
His death was an irreplaceable loss to Indian cinema. And it was a tragic twist of fate that his films, most of which were discounted in his life-time, would be regarded as cult classics after his death. Guru Dutt would always be known, even if posthumously, as the Guru of Bollywood's Golden Age and one of the world's most important international auteurs.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Geeta Bali was born on 30 November 1930 in Amritsar, Punjab, British India. She was an actress and producer, known for Albela (1951), Baaz (1953) and Bawre Nain (1950). She was married to Shammi Kapoor. She died on 21 January 1965 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Director
- Producer
Balwant Bhatt was born on 13 January 1909 in Porbandar, Gujarat, India. He was a director and producer, known for Sardar-e-Awwal (1939), Her Highness (1946) and His Highness (1937). He died on 7 February 1965 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Motilal was born on 4 December 1910 in Shimla, Punjab, British India. He was an actor and director, known for Devdas (1955), Chhoti Chhoti Baatein (1965) and Sach Hai (1939). He died on 17 June 1965 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Director
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Bimal Roy (July 12, 1909 - January 8, 1966) was an Indian film director. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films such as Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Bandini (1963), Biraj Bahu (1954), Madhumati (1958) which he employed to portray realism. He won a number of awards throughout his career, including eleven Filmfare Awards, two National Film Awards, and the International Prize of the Cannes Film Festival. Madhumati won 9 Filmfare Awards in 1958, a record held for 37 years.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Anand Prasad Kapoor was born in 1892 in Benares, North-Western Provinces, British India. He was a director and writer, known for Bansari Bala (1927), June-E-Daulat (1931) and Chirag E Kohistan (1929). He died on 16 September 1966 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Shaheed Latif was born on 11 June 1913 in Chandausi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Shaheed was a director and writer, known for Fareb (1953), Arzoo (1950) and Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966). Shaheed was married to Ismat Chughtai. Shaheed died on 16 April 1967 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Cinematographer
Josef Wirsching was born on 22 March 1903 in Munich, Germany. He was a cinematographer, known for Mahal (1949), Achhut Kanya (1936) and Pakeezah (1972). He died on 11 June 1967 in Bombay, India.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Early Life and Background
Hemen Gupta was born in Rajasthan, British India. His father, Purnanand Gupta, worked in the State Treasury Office and for several years, was posted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where Hemen spent his early childhood. His siblings were brothers Jogen, Biren, Rabin, Nripen and sister Amiya.
Hemen grew up in a very large joint family, together with several uncles, aunts and cousins. He was a good student and completed his high school and undergrad college studies in Dhaka, where he graduated with academic honors. After his undergrad, he moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) in West Bengal, India.
In Calcutta, he was actively involved in the national revolutionary movement to obtain freedom from British Rule. He joined the youth wing of the local Congress Party in 1928 and was drawn into what the British authorities considered subversive activities. In1931, he was arrested by the British police and convicted on two charges. 1) for alleged complicity in the murder of the Midnapore District Magistrate, Mr. Paddy Douglas and 2) for his active participation in the Dacca-Assam Mail Train Robbery Case. He spent jail terms at Buxar jail (in the state of Bihar) and Deoli jail (in the state of Rajasthan) from 1932 to 1938. As collateral and punitive damage, his extended family also got incarcerated, whereby several members lost their government jobs and pension benefits. Their family printing business was also forced to shut down.
Film Career
During his jail term, he developed a keen interest in the art and science of film making, which was a new medium of mass communication in those days. While in jail, he resumed academic studies and earned his Master's Degree in History. Immediately upon his release from prison, he worked in close association with the India's celebrated leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, as his personal secretary. In 1939 he started his film career by joining the renowned New Theatres film studios, Calcutta, as a helper in the studio's costume department. He was later promoted to becoming an Assistant Film Director.
In 1943, he got his break as a Director, with his first feature film titled "Dwanda" (Conflict). From 1943 to 1949, he directed seven feature films, mostly in Bengali language. The themes of several of his films were based on India's freedom movement and he drew upon his personal experiences as a radical activist and the years he spent in prison. Most notable amongst these films, was "42" ("Biyallish" in Bengali), Due to it's controversial political content, the film was initially rejected by the Board of Film Censors, but later allowed to be released. It is widely considered to be a milestone film, depicting the Quit India Movement in a village in Bengal, India. It has won universal acclaim and continues to be a perennial favorite amongst that genre of patriotic films. In Calcutta, he introduced film actor Pradeep Kumar Batabyal, music director Hemanta Mukherjee and cameraman Ajoy Kar (who later became a film director).
In 1950, he migrated to Bombay to pursue his film career there. His first film in Bombay was produced by Mr. Sasadhar Mukerji and titled "Anand Math". This was also a patriotic film based on a novel by the renowned Bengali author Bankim Chandra Chatterji. He also brought his protégés and key technical team from Kolkata to Bombay. His next film titled Ferry (Kashti in Hindi) in 1952, was a love story that starred Dev Anand and Geeta Bali. It was the official entry from India at the Moscow Film festival.
From 1951 to 1967, Hemen directed seven feature films that were released and three films that remained unfinished, due to his untimely demise. The most acclaimed among them was the film "Kabuliwala' based on a story by Nobel Laureate author Rabindranath Tagore. It was released in 1961 and it received a silver medal at the Indian National Film awards.
Death Hemen Gupta suffered a brain hemorrhage in May 1967 and died prematurely at the Nanavati Hospital, in Bombay. He was survived by his wife Ratna (1930 - 2000), son Jayanta, daughter Jayshree and son Jaijeet.
Legacy Hemen Gupta is best remembered for his patriotic films, which were widely acclaimed for their honest and hard-hitting realism. . Some critics and intellectuals held the view that the Indian masses of those days were not quite ready to accept such realism, as they were accustomed to the song and dance routines that were common in films in that period. His films won critical acclaim, but did not achieve box office success. He might have received greater recognition and commercial success today, in 21st century India, when parallel and commercial cinemas are arguably beginning to converge.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Roshan was born on 14 July 1917 in Gujranwala, Punjab, British India [now in Punjab, Pakistan]. He was a composer and actor, known for Taj Mahal (1963), Raising Helen (2004) and Vallah Kya Baat Hai (1962). He was married to Ira Roshan. He died on 16 November 1967 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Ghulam Mohammed was born in 1903 in Bikaner, Rajasthan, British India. He was a composer and actor, known for Amber (1952), Anokhi Ada (1948) and The Savage Princess (1952). He died on 17 March 1968 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Vimala Vasishta was an actress, known for Mohan (1947), Noor Jahan (1931) and Kanchan (1941). She died on 6 October 1968 in Bombay, India.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Dada Gunjal was born on 25 January 1904 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India. Dada was a director and writer, known for Bharari the Bandit (1931), Shaitani Chakkar (1933) and Khabardar (1931). Dada died on 16 November 1968 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Director
- Writer
Chaturbhuj Doshi was born in 1894 in Kathiawar, Gujarat, British India [now India]. Chaturbhuj was a director and writer, known for Pardesi (1941), Aabroo (1956) and Bhakta Surdas (1942). Chaturbhuj died on 21 January 1969 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Ishwarlal was born on 9 October 1911 in Waghania, Gujarat, India. He was an actor and director, known for Jawan Mard (1966), Riwaaj (1947) and Holi (1940). He died on 22 January 1969 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Arguably the most beautiful artiste to ever grace the Indian screen, Madhubala rose from humble beginnings to become the most captivating star India has ever produced. Madhubala was born Mumtaz Jehan Begum on Valentine's Day 1933, in a poor, conservative family of Pathan Muslims in Delhi, a part of a prolific brood of sisters, and entered the world of films at the tender age of eight. After about five years of playing child roles, Madhubala got her first break in a lead role in Neel Kamal (1947), produced anddirected by her mentor, veteran filmmaker Kidar Sharma. At the age of 14, she played a romantic lead against another fledgling star, Raj Kapoor, and Madhubala had finally arrived on the Indian screen. Over the next two years she had blossomed into a truly rapturous beauty (which earned her the sobriquet of the Venus Of the Indian Screen) and with the movie Mahal (1949), literally overnight, she was a superstar.
It has been often said that her beauty overshadowed her acting talents, which to an extent is true; however this was more due to poor judgement than lack of talent. Being encumbered by a large family to support, and forever living under the domination of an imperious father who, she made several poor choices in movies which seriously undermined her credibility as a serious performer, to the extent of being labelled "box-office poison". However, her more or less dismal repertoire in the 50s was marked by spots of true brilliance - movies like Tarana (1951), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955) and of course her swansong Mughal-E-Azam (1960) showcased her remarkable talents as a serious artiste across several genres and revealed what this ethereal beauty was truly capable of.
Sadly, she was plagued by a persistent heart disease that confined her to a bed for almost nine torturous years, and eventually claimed her life on February 23 1969, nine days after her 36th birthday. In this short life, she had made over 70 movies, and to this day remains one of the most enduring legends of Indian cinema.- Writer
- Director
- Music Department
Pralhad Keshav Atre was born on 13 August 1898 in Saswad, Bombay Presidency, British India. Pralhad Keshav was a writer and director, known for Shyamchi Aai (1953), Naan Avanillai (1974) and Dil Ki Baat (1944). Pralhad Keshav was married to Vanamala. Pralhad Keshav died on 13 June 1969 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Ardeshir Irani was born on 5 December 1886 in Poona, Bombay Presidency, British India. He was a director and producer, known for The Light of the World (1931), Dokhtare Lor ya irane druz va emruz (1933) and Shahjehan (1924). He died on 14 October 1969 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Music Department
- Writer
- Composer
Shakeel Badayuni was born on 3 August 1916 in Badaun, India. He was a writer and composer, known for Gharana (1961), Bees Saal Baad (1962) and Mughal-E-Azam (1960). He died on 20 April 1970 in Bombay, India.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Asif was born Asif Karim in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh to Parents Dr. Fazal Karim and Bibi Ghulam Fatima. He was the youngest of his siblings with Sikander Begum, wife of versatile Actor/Director/Producer Nazir Ahmed Khan being the Eldest and Masood Karim, the first Muslim President of Sindh Club second in line. Asif Karim went to Bombay to his brother-in-law Nazir Ahmed Khan and later took the name K. Asif. He became a Successful director due to his perfectionism in weaving his imagination into an art form and gave birth to Mughal-e-Azam, a legendary film in the Sub-Continental Cinema which needs no introduction. He passed away at very early age- Actress
- Writer
Hansa Wadkar was born on 24 January 1924 in India. She was an actress and writer, known for Nav Jeevan (1939), Sant Sakhu (1941) and Mere Lal (1948). She died on 23 August 1971 in Bombay, India.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal was born on 4 November 1929 in Vansda, Bansda State, British India. He was a composer and actor, known for Deadpool (2016), Suraj (1966) and Chori Chori (1956). He died on 12 September 1971 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Keshavrao Date was born in 1889 in Adivare, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India. He was an actor and director, known for Andhon Ki Duniya (1947), Mali (1944) and Bhakticha Mala (1944). He died on 13 September 1971 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Actress
- Costume Designer
- Music Department
The Empress of Indian Cinema!
A Sweetheart of 1950s, & The Undisputed Goddess of 1960s Bollywood, Meena Kumari bestrode the movies like few women in history have!
Combing enchanting grace, amazingly heart-melting expression, & consistently solid progressive content base, this Giant of Cinema will remain immortal as perhaps the greatest feminine incarnation of filmdom!
Born in 1933 into a poor Parsee theatre family of Ali Bux and actor-dancer Prabhavati Devi (converted to Iqbal Begum) (Prabhavati's mother's first husband till death, incidentally, being the cousin of Rabindranath Tagore, Prabhavati in turn borne of her second husband, a very famous Urdu poet of Meerut, from where she migrated to pursue a career in music) in Bombay, Maharashtra, India, she entered films to support her family in difficult times.
She was six when hired for Leatherface (1939) in 1939 by Vijay Bhatt and named Baby Meena. Later she became Meena Kumari when cast for Bhatt's Baiju Bawra (1952).
She did mythological films with Homi Wadia and then comedies like Miss Mary (1957). She became personified as the archetypal good Hindu wife through many roles, long suffering and always true to the man. She excelled at tragedy and was often shown in a white sari carrying the film with her emotive acting. She was also thought to be the only actress who could sell a film on the strength of her name alone. Her major films are Daaera (1953), Baiju Bawra (1952), 0046164, and of course her most well known film, Pakeezah (1972). She was married to Kamal Amrohi with whom she started making "Pakeezah". They separated in 1964.
She was also an accomplished Urdu writer and had several poems published by Gulzar after her death. She battled alcoholism and loneliness and finally died, alone, in 1972.- Actor
- Director
Prithviraj Kapoor was born on 3 November 1906 in Samundri, Punjab, British India. He was an actor and director, known for Mughal-E-Azam (1960), Maharathi Karna (1944) and Bidyapati (1937). He was married to Rama Kapoor. He died on 29 May 1972 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Mahesh Kaul was born on 10 April 1911 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. He was a director and producer, known for Talaaq (1958), Jeewan Jyoti (1953) and Diwana (1967). He was married to Indira M.Kaul. He died on 2 July 1972 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Actress
Geeta Dutt was born in Faridpur District in East Bengal in 1930. Music Director Hanuman Prasad gave her chance to sing two lines in the film Bhakt Prahlad (1946). Her major assignment came the following year, 1947, with Do Bhai. From 1947-1949 Geeta Duttt was number playback singer in Mumbai. Initially Geeta was a singer well known for bhajans and weepy, weepy sad songs. But in 1951 after the release of a film, Baazi revealed a new facet. During the recording of the song she met Guru Dutt and later in 1953 they got married. However in 1957 they had some problems. Due to marriage problems she was not readily available for rehearsals and found solace in drink. She suffered a nervous breakdown but resumed singing again. But her drinking problems were not over and she died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1972.